Put Down the Torches

“It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.” – Ephesians 2:1-6 (MSG)

Isn’t it ironic how most of us want to receive grace, yet we struggle to show it to others? We want everyone to overlook our shortcomings. We scream from the mountain tops “DON’T JUDGE ME!” Yet, if we are honest, we are quick to point out the flaws of others. We celebrate and share the painful moments that capture humans at their lowest points of failure.

As if we have never misspoken.

As if we have never had a moment of shame and weakness.

As if we get it 100 percent right all of the time.

As if our mess does not stink.

We are often quick to forget God’s grace when dealing with other’s shortcomings. This happens when we lose sight of how God’s grace has cleansed us of our own past. In order to pick up the “torches” and “stones” of the latest social media witch hunt, we must first set down love, grace, truth, and mercy. I do not know about you, but I would rather hold on to amazing grace than cling to unending hate.